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Begin your virtual tour of United States - National Parks by clicking on any of the above entry points,
and follow roads or trails through a network of linked images.
From dramatic wonders of creation such as the Grand Canyon,
Yosemite Valley and Yellowstone to isolated preserves of wilderness such as Great Basin National Park and the Mojave Preserve, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of many of America's true jewels. As American settlers moved westward into the Rocky Mountains and many remarkable natural landmarks were discovered, a movement began to set aside the most important of these to insure their preservation for all to enjoy. The National Park
Service was created on August 25, 1916.
Stephen Tyng Mather
is credited with being the impetus behind the Park Service and its strategies.
Even before the Park Service was established, numerous parks had already
been designated, starting with Yellowstone in 1872. Other early parks include
Sequoia, Crater Lake, Mount Rainier.
National Parks are still being created today; a recent
one being Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado, so designated in 1999.
National Parks fit into roughly three catagories, natural wonders,
historic sites, and undisturbed areas of scenic beauty. Yellowstone's many geysers and hot springs are a prime example of natural wonders, as is the one-mile deep Grand Canyon in Arizona. Mount Rainier in Washington State is a remarkably tall volcanic mountain that sits on the shoulders of the mountains around it
and is visible for a great distance in every direction. Mount McKinley in
Alaska is the highest mountain in the western hemisphere, 20,230 feet high,
located in Denali National Park.
Independance National Historical Park, in Philadelphia, contains Independence Hall,
the Liberty Bell and other sites associated with the American Independence. Another
example of a historical park is Sitka National Historic Park in Alaska, containing a battleground where Tlingit Indians were defeated
by Russians in 1804. Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado preserves ruins of
cliff dwellings left by ancient Indians.
The National Park Service has gone to great lengths to preserve these
sites in their natural or original condition, free from the burdens of
civilization. Spectacular scenery and open space typify the national parks.
The UntraveledRoad team is doing its part to preserve these national treasures in a new way, with tens of thousands of images connected together so that you can see the scenery along the roads and trails of many of these parks.
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